Generative AI in Academic Writing: A UTAUT-Based Survey of Student Perceptions at a Rwandan Higher Education Institution

Ndayizigiye, Jean Paul

Journal of Applied Artificial Intelligence in Education
Vol 2, No 2 (2027): January 2027

This study examines how higher education students in Rwanda, particularly at the Institut Catholique de Kabgayi (ICK), perceive and use artificial intelligence (AI) tools in academic writing within a Kinyarwanda-English multilingual learning environment. The study is guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), which is applied as an organizing descriptive framework rather than a predictive or statistically tested model. Academic writing remains a central but challenging skill for students who are required to produce structured, argument-based texts in English as a second language, making AI tools increasingly relevant in supporting writing development. Data were collected from 222 valid student responses using a structured questionnaire combining Likert-scale items and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, means, and standard deviations, were used to analyze quantitative data, while qualitative responses were used for illustrative interpretation. Findings show that students frequently use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, and Google Translate to support idea generation, grammar correction, paraphrasing, translation, and overall writing improvement. ChatGPT was the most widely used tool (78.8%), reflecting its central role in students’ writing processes. Students generally reported that AI tools enhance writing quality, productivity, and confidence. However, concerns were also expressed regarding overreliance, contextual inaccuracy, ethical use, and reduced critical thinking. It is important to note that plagiarism detection is associated with specialized tools such as Grammarly Premium and Turnitin, not Google Translate, which primarily serves translation purposes. The findings further indicate that multilingual educational contexts shape how students interact with different AI tools for translation, language support, and content generation. The study concludes that while AI tools offer significant pedagogical benefits for academic writing, their use requires structured guidance, institutional policy clarity, and AI literacy training to ensure responsible and effective integration in higher education writing instruction.